By Kenny Goldberg
A legislative effort to allow people who are here illegally to buy Covered California health plans has been shelved.
State Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) removed a section from his bill (Senate Bill 4) that would have let those immigrants buy unsubsidized health insurance through California’s insurance exchange.
An estimated 2.7 million people are living n California illegally. As it stands now, hospital emergency rooms or community clinics are usually the only options when they get sick.
The idea of extending Medi-Cal coverage to this population has been rejected as too expensive.
Nadereh Pourat, director of research of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, said it actually makes financial sense to provide coverage for the uninsured.
“Because you can prevent conditions from getting worse. You can address them early by paying for care in a lower-cost setting,” she said.
Beginning next May, California will expand Medi-Cal coverage to the children of people who are living here illegally.
Approximately 170,000 immigrant children will be eligible for the program next year.